Unit 3: Constructing Research Framework 
Lesson  1:  Creating  Conceptual  Framework 
and Defining Terms  
 
 
Contents 
 

Engage 1 
Introduction 1 
Objectives 2 

Explore 2 

Explain and Elaborate 3 

Conceptual Framework 3 
Definition of Terms 8 

Extend 10 
Activity 1 10 
Activity 2 11 

Evaluate 13 

Wrap Up 15 

Bibliography 16 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
  
Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

Engage   
 

  Introduction 

 
Fig. 1. A floor plan of a house 
 
Did  you  ever  wonder  how  buildings  such  as houses are constructed? It all starts with a floor 
plan.  This  is  used  to  show  the  layout  of  a  building  and  may  even  show  the  links  among 
rooms,  spaces,  patterns,  and  other  physical  features  of  the  structure.  Any  project  that  is  to 
be  conducted  should  start  with  visual  guides  that  can  be  helpful  in  explaining  how  the 
project will take place. 
 
Constructing  buildings  and  writing  research  are  almost  analogous  with  each  other.  A 
conceptual  framework,  the  floor  plan  of  a  research,  can  best  explain  how  a  phenomenon 
will  be  studied.  But  how  can  you  best  construct  these diagrams for your research? How can 
these illustrations help you understand the path that your research will dive into?  

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

  Objectives 
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following: 
● Construct a conceptual framework based on a research topic of interest.  
● Apply the appropriate definition for terms used in the study. 
 
DepEd Competencies 
● Illustrate and explain conceptual framework.​ (​CS_RS12-If-j-6​) 
● Define terms used in study​. ​(C
​ S_RS12-If-j-7​) 
 
 

Explore   
 

       10 minutes 
With  a  partner,  fill  in  the  Venn  diagram  based  on  your  preconceptions  of  theoretical  and 
conceptual frameworks. 

 
 
 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
Guide Questions 
1. What are some of its key similarities and differences? 

 
 
 
 
 

2. Based on your answers, how can you define a theoretical and conceptual framework? 

 
 
 
 
 
3. How can a theoretical framework and conceptual framework be used in research? 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Explain and Elaborate   

 
Conceptual Framework 
The  conceptual  framework  ​illustrates  how  a  research  problem  will  be  investigated​. It is 
usually  depicted  using  visual  guides,  such  as  diagrams  and charts, in order to represent the 
main  idea  in  a  study.  A  conceptual  framework  aims  to  explain  the  ​relationships  and 
connections of concepts, and the means of exploring the problem​.  
 
It  should  be  presented  in  the  simplest  way  possible  and  must  highlight  the  ​significance  ​of 
the  study,  the  ​assumptions  ​of  the  researcher,  and  the  ​theories  ​from  which  the  study  was 
based.  A  conceptual  framework  can  also  be  constructed  by  researchers  when  existing 
theories  are  insufficient  or  irrelevant  in  establishing  structure  and  describing  the  research 
problem (Adom et al. 2018). 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

How  can  a  conceptual  framework  benefit  your 

  research? 
 
 
Differences between Conceptual Framework and Theoretical Framework  
A  theoretical  framework  and  conceptual  framework  are  similar,  yet  two  distinct  concepts. 
Akintoye  (2015)  states  that  the  theoretical  and  conceptual  framework  serve  the  same 
purpose  in  giving  structure  and  direction  to  the  study.  In  addition,  both  explain  clearly  the 
variables  and  concepts  in  a  study.  However,  it  is  important  to  distinguish  the  differences 
between the two.  
 
According  to  Imenda  (2014),  a  theoretical  framework  pertains  to  the  theory  where  the 
researcher  based  their  study.  In  research  writing,  it is best to present one major theory that 
will  be  used  and  two  minor  theories  that  support  the  major  theory.  Theories  help  the 
researcher understand the phenomenon under study. 
 
On  the  other  hand,  the  conceptual  framework  is  founded  on  the  theoretical  framework  of 
the  study.  It  is  the  end  result  of  the  researcher’s  synthesis  of  related  concepts  and 
perspectives  gathered  from  different  sources.  The  table  below  summarizes  the  key 
differences between the theoretical and conceptual framework:  
  
 
 
Table 1. Key differences between a conceptual framework and a theoretical framework 

Theoretical Framework  Conceptual Framework 

Presents a general or wide scope of ideas  Pertains to more specific or narrower 

related to the study  concepts related to the study 

Adapted from established and existing  Constructed when existing theories are 
theories from literature  insufficient in explaining the study 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

Application of a certain theory  Integration of concepts and ideas gathered 

from different sources 

Broad application and may extend from a  Restricted to a certain study or research 
certain study or research problem.   problem 

Evaluates theories in order to investigate  Promotes the development of a theory that 

suppositions about the research problem   can be beneficial to researchers studying 
the same area of interest 

 
 
Constructing a Conceptual Framework 
Swaen  (2015)  states  that  the  basic  design  components  in  the  conceptual  framework  use 
boxes,  lines,  ​and  ​arrows  ​to  explain  the  relationships  of  variables  being  discussed  in  the 
study. 
 
Table 2. Basic design components in a conceptual framework 

Component  Representation 

Box  Variable 

Line  Correlation, link 

Arrow  Cause-effect relationship 

 
Boxes  often  represent  variables.  Lines  indicate  a  correlation  between  two variables. Finally, 
arrows  suggest  cause-effect  relationships,  starting  from  the  independent  variable  and 
pointing  to  the  dependent  variable.  In  some  cases,  double  arrowheads  are  used,  especially 
in  business  and  experimental  research  studies,  to  denote  evaluation  or  reevaluation. 
Broken lines may also be used to show an indirect relationship between variables. 
  
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

Review  
● An  ​independent  variable  is  a  variable  that  is  being  ​manipulated  in 
an experiment.  
● A ​dependent variable​ is a variable being ​tested​ in an experiment. 

 
 
Latham  (2005)  suggests  a  systematic  way  of  constructing  a  conceptual  framework.  It  is 
recommended  to  begin  with  the building blocks, which are the main variables or constructs, 
then  indicating  relationships  among  the  variables  using  lines  or  arrows.  Other  additional 
features,  such  as  mediating  variables  and  context  factors,  can  also be added once the main 
structure is illustrated.  
 
Regionel  (2015)  proposed  a  step-by-step  process  in  constructing  a  conceptual  framework. 
The following steps are as follows:  
1. Finalize  the  research  topic.  It  should  be  based  on  your  interest  and  field  of 
specialization.  
2. Conduct  a  literature  review.  All  sources  of  information  from  the  literature  review 
must  be  scientific  and  reliable.  It  is  highly  recommended  to  use  peer-reviewed  and 
scientific journals since these are up to date. 
3. Decide  which  variables  are  to  be  investigated.  Based  on  the  literature  review, 
identify  the  key  variables  based  on  your  research  problem  and  figure out how these 
might be interrelated.  
4. Construct  the  conceptual  framework.  Using  the  literature  review  that  you  have 
gathered,  construct  the  conceptual  framework  by  emphasizing  the main variables to 
be investigated. It should reflect how the entire research process will unfold.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
Conceptual frameworks come in different structures and designs. Below are some examples 
of conceptual frameworks. 
 

 
Fig. 2. A conceptual framework using a dependent and independent variable 
 
The  figure  above  shows  the  basic  design  of  a  conceptual  framework.  This  represents  the 
causal  relationship  between  the  independent  variable  which  is  the  “number  of  hours spent 
using social media” and the dependent variable “academic performance in school.” 

 
Fig. 3. A conceptual framework of a study about customer satisfaction 
 
The  conceptual  framework  above  shows  a  hypothetical  study  of  different  factors  affecting 
customer  satisfaction  in  a  restaurant.  There  are  three  independent  variables  presented, 
namely:  ambiance  of  place,  taste  of  food,  and  service  of  staff.  The  lines  suggest  that  the 
three  variables  are  interconnected.  However,  their  relationship  to  the  dependent  variable, 
customer  satisfaction,  varies  according  to  the  strength  of  a  relationship.  This  might  be 
caused by the context of the situation.  

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

What counts as a “good” conceptual framework?   

 

 
After  illustrating  the  conceptual  framework,  the  researcher  must also explain it in writing to 
be clearly understood. This includes explaining the relationships among the variables. 
 
 
Definition of Terms 
The  researcher  defines  terms  in  research  to  ​set  boundaries  ​on  how  specific  terms  are 
going  to  be  used  in  the  study.  This  is to ensure that the terms will be defined uniformly and 
will  not  be  interpreted differently. The definition of terms can be written either in paragraph 
or list format.  
 
Conceptual and Operational Definitions 
Leary  (2012)  stated that researchers use two kinds of definitions in their study. The first kind 
of  definition  is  the  ​conceptual  definition​,  which  is  easily  described  as  the  definition found 
in  the  dictionary.  However,  they  are  not  specific  enough  to  qualify  for  research  purposes. 
For example, we can conceptually define stress as a state of mental or emotional tension.  
 
The  second  kind  of  definition  is  the  ​operational  definition​.  It  refers  to  how  a  certain 
concept  was  used  or  measured  in  a  particular  study.  Using  the  example  above,  you  can 
define  stress  as  having  a  high  score  on  a  stress  level  questionnaire​. ​Operational definitions 
are  important  for  researchers  to  replicate  other  studies.  If  a  certain  term  was  not  precisely 
defined, the researchers will have no idea how it was originally measured or conducted.   
 

What  are  the  consequences  of  not  precisely 

  defining the terms used in the study? 
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
Now  that  we  know how conceptual and operational definitions differ from each other, try to 
look at the following examples to have a better understanding of both types of definitions. 
 
Table 3. Examples of conceptual and operational definitions 

Term  Conceptual Definition  Operational Definition 

Scholastic Performance  A student’s progress in an  Average of accumulated 

academic program or level  scores in one grading period 

Temperature  Warmness or coldness of a  The intensity of hotness in a 

thing  substance or body, 
measured by getting the 
average kinetic energy of 
molecules in a substance or 
body 

Financial Literacy  Ability of a person to  Average money allocated on 

understand and apply  budgeting, saving, 
financial managing skills  borrowing, and spending  
 
 
Guidelines in Writing the Definition of Terms 
The following must be taken into consideration in writing the definition of terms:  
● Avoid defining terms by merely repeating the word. 
● Simple  and  familiar  words  are  preferred  in  defining  terms.  Avoid  the  use  of  words 
that are too complex. This is to avoid misinterpretations in your study.  
● The terms defined should be arranged alphabetically.  
● Acronyms  should  be  spelled  out  completely,  especially  if  it  is  uncommon  or  will  be 
used for the first time in the research paper.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

Extend   
 
Activity 1 
Look  for  one  journal  article  in  line  with  your  academic  strand.  Draw  the  conceptual 
framework  from  that  journal  article  below  then  briefly  explain  how  the  researcher/s  made 
use of the framework in order to explore the research problem.  

Title of Journal Article: 

 
Author/s: 
 
 
Conceptual Framework 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

Conceptual Framework Description 

 
 
 
 

 
 

​ uide 
G
The  conceptual  framework  of  a  study  is  ​found  in  the  literature  review  ​of  a  journal 
article.  It  is  placed  near  the  theoretical  framework  and  is  illustrated  using  diagrams 
or  charts.  ​The  researcher  provides  a  write-up  explaining  the  conceptual  framework 
after it has been presented.  

 
Activity 2 
Using  the  same  journal  article,  look  for  the  definition  of  terms  section  of  the  study.  List 
down  the  terms  used  then  write  down  its  conceptual  and  operational  definition.  You  may 
use a separate sheet if necessary. Do not forget to write the source for each definition.   
 
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

Terms  Conceptual Definition  Operational Definition 

     
 
 

     

     

     

     

​ uide 
G
Before  selecting  the  journal  article  for  this  activity,  make sure that it both includes the 
conceptual framework and definition of terms.  

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

Evaluate   
 

A. Write your answers in the space provided.    

1. What are the similarities and differences of a theoretical and conceptual framework? 

 
 
 
 

 
2. How are relationships between variables shown in a conceptual framework? 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
3. What is the purpose of the literature review in constructing a conceptual framework?  

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 

B.  Below  are  some  examples  of  defined  terms  in  research. 
Examine  what  type  of  definition  (i.e.,  conceptual  or 
 
operational)  is  used  then  assess  whether  the  given  example 
is appropriately written. Explain your answers briefly. 

 
1. Intelligence  is  measured  using  the  scores  of  the  high  school  students  on  the  Wechsler 
Adult Intelligence Scale.   

 
 
 
 
 

 
2. Density refers to how dense a substance is.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
3. Customer  satisfaction  refers  to  the  number  of  days  per  month  that  the  employee 
shows up to work on time.  

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
 

Wrap Up 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
● The  conceptual  framework  integrates  concepts  and  ideas  gathered  from  different 
sources.  
● The  theoretical  framework  of  a  study  refers  to  the  existing  theory  where  the 
researchers based their study.  
● Both  the  conceptual  and  theoretical  framework  give  direction  to  the  study  by 
emphasizing the main constructs and concepts i​ n a research study.  
● The  two  types  of  definitions  used  in  a  study  are  the  ​conceptual  definition  ​and 
operational definition​. 
 

 
 
Fig. 4. Research framework and definition of terms 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Unit 3.1: Creating Conceptual Framework and Defining Terms 
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

  Bibliography 
Adom, Dickson, Emad Kamil Hussein, and Joe Adu Agyem. “Theoretical and Conceptual 
Framework: Mandatory Ingredients of a Quality Research.” I​ nternational Journal of 
Scientific Research ​7, no. 1 (2018): 438-441. h
​ ttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 
322204158_THEORETICAL_AND_CONCEPTUAL_FRAMEWORK_MANDATORY_INGREDIE
NTS_OF_A_QUALITY_RESEARCH​. 
 

Akintoye, Akintola. “Developing Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks.” PowerPoint 

Presentation, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom, July 3, 2015. 
https://jedm.oauife.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Akintola-Akintoye_Developi
ng-Theoretical-and-Conceptual-Frameworks.pdf​. 
 

Imenda, Sitwala. “Is There a Conceptual Difference between Theoretical and Conceptual 
Frameworks?” ​Journal of Social Sciences​ 38, no. 2 (2014): 185-195. doi:10.1080/ 
09718923.2014.11893249. 
 

Latham, John. “Conceptual Framework.” John Latham. Accessed April 9, 2020. ​https://www. 
drjohnlatham.com/frameworks/research-methods-framework/conceptual-framewor
k/​. 
  

Leary, Mark R. I​ ntroduction to Behavioral Research Methods. 6

​ th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 
2012. 
 

Regionel, Patrick. “Conceptual Framework: A Step by Step Guide on How to Make One.” 
Simplyeducate. January 25, 2015. h​ ttps://simplyeducate.me/2015/01/05/ 
conceptual-framework-guide/​. 
 

Swaen, Bas. “Conceptual framework.” Scribrr. Last modified November 21, 2019. h
​ ttps:// 
www.scribbr. com/dissertation/conceptual-framework/​. 
 

“Writing Definitions.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Accessed April 10, 2020. ​https://owl. 
purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/definitions.html​. 

 
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